[Dixielandjazz] listening to OKOM is absolutely essential

[Steve barbone]

john petters at johnpetters at tiscali.co.uk wrote: (polite snip)


> I've listened to Marsalis and other current players and find that by and
> large they just do not grab me.

But have you listened to ALL that Marsalis has done with New Orleans Jazz?
All the radio broadcasts etc?
> 
>> But I have already learned all the lessons that
> Johnny Dodds, Eddie Miller, Larry Shields, Leon Rappollo, Alphonse Picou,
> Albert Nicholas, George Lewis, Sidney Bechet and all the others of that time
> can teach me. I have heard enough from them in about 58 years of listening
> to jazz
> 
> That I do find hard to believe. I have spent 35 years listening and
> absorbing and still feel there is much to learn and enjoy.

There is always much to learn, but what have you learned specifically from
the last time you listened to Baby Dodds, that you did not already know?
> 
>> And yes, this is relatively simple music
> Well if it is relatively simple to play King Oliver, why has it eluded every
> band that has tried to play like him over the years. No one came near. On
> the surface it is simple - but as Ken Colyer said it the inner rhythms.

Pardon my candor, but the bands that try and play like King Oliver, and
can't are sub par musicians. Those that speak of mysterious "inner rhythms"
that cannot be duplicated by competent jazz musicians are hearing something
that isn't there. And you know my feelings on lesser bands, reprising the
originals. They subtract from the music, rather than adding to it. They
bastardize the musical language. They are not about jazz.

By the same token, Independence Hall JB did an excellent job on Oliver in
their CD entitled "The Oliver Years". Guys like Jon Erik Kellso can play
like Oliver any time the spirit moves them, but then, that's not what "Jazz"
is about and Jon is a "Jazz" musician. And that CD, rather than duplicate
Oliver exactly, puts their own spin on the music, adding to it.

Again, pardon my candor, but as a general rule, NO, repeat NO self
respecting "Jazz" musician would want to base his life's work on producing
music that sounds like somebody else. The only exceptions to that are those
bands having as their mission;  "to keep the music of Basie, or Bob Crosby,
or Glenn Miller alive",  by reprising it. The BobCats are, for example,
doing an excellent job in that respect. Now, is there a similar band of
competent musicians out there that calls itself King Oliver's Creole Jazz
Band out there? I don't think so.

I guarantee you, that if a competent group of jazz musicians wanted to
duplicate King Oliver, they could come very close. Then, if they
electronically mastered the sound to duplicate the original Oliver record
sounds and subjected all of us sophisticated listeners to a blindfold test
we would be totally fooled. No different than those who swear they can tell
the difference between Black & White jazz musicians. Put the blindfold on
and choose your records carefully, and they get it wrong every time.

Bottom line is that nobody will ever duplicate Oliver exactly, because we
humans are all unique. BUT, that does not make "The Music" difficult. King
Oliver is not "The Music", only a very small part of it. The "music" is
simple, but the individuals or bands within the music are unique. The only
way to duplicate them is to clone Oliver, or Presley, or George Lewis, or
Pee Wee Russell, or Bix, etc., etc., etc.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone